Force Replication Between Domain Controllers

Updated: April 25, 2011

Applies To: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2

You can use this procedure to force Active Directory replication to occur between two domain controllers on a one-time basis when you want changes to be replicated from the server that received the changes to a server in another site sooner than the site link schedule allows. As an alternative, you can synchronize replication with all replication partners.

Membership in Enterprise Admins, or equivalent, is required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at Local and Domain Default Groups (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477).

Open Active Directory Sites and Services: On the Start menu, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Sites and Services.

In the console tree, expand Sites, and then expand the site to which you want to force replication from the updated server.

Expand the Servers container to display the list of servers that are currently configured for that site.

Expand the server objects and click their NTDS Settings objects to display their connection objects in the details pane. Find a server that has a connection object from the server on which you made the updates.

Click NTDS Settings below the server object. In the details pane, right-click the connection object whose From Server is the domain controller that has the updates that you want to replicate, and then click Replicate Now.

When the Replicate Now message box appears, review the information, and then click OK.